shengnu
Reviews
Filter & Sort
Detailed
A cannon blast of a perfume.
This is a green floral chypre that opens with a shot across the bow, of bitterness, mild sweetness, and citrus, all at once. After the mighty opening blast, the soft sweetness of flowers, and the grounding darkness of patchouli, woods and oakmoss appear.
Solid, opaque, almost completely nonsweet, and a bit heavy, which is something I love and hate about 80s scents. This is a very serious, very powerful woman. It’s a beautiful chypre but in my opinion isn’t as dynamic as Mitsouko. Although I like it, I think it is anchored in the 80s, and I don’t see it remaining relevant for 100 years.
Solid, opaque, almost completely nonsweet, and a bit heavy, which is something I love and hate about 80s scents. This is a very serious, very powerful woman. It’s a beautiful chypre but in my opinion isn’t as dynamic as Mitsouko. Although I like it, I think it is anchored in the 80s, and I don’t see it remaining relevant for 100 years.
Lost classic
The parfum is a dark amber color, with a slightly slick feel on the fingers, and which leaves a shine. It is redolent with oils and extracts.
It is both very old and remarkably new. The top notes have gone off, so I only get a bit of citric freshness.
The rest is a dark, lightly sweet, almost fruity chypre. A deep perfume where you can smell spices, flowers and oak moss without being able to tell what they are. It's slightly peppery, slightly sneeze-inducing if you get too close. A bit gingery too, which I love. Not too loud, not too much tuberose. Very close to perfect. The vintage bottles are absolutely unaffordable now, which is quite sad.
It is both very old and remarkably new. The top notes have gone off, so I only get a bit of citric freshness.
The rest is a dark, lightly sweet, almost fruity chypre. A deep perfume where you can smell spices, flowers and oak moss without being able to tell what they are. It's slightly peppery, slightly sneeze-inducing if you get too close. A bit gingery too, which I love. Not too loud, not too much tuberose. Very close to perfect. The vintage bottles are absolutely unaffordable now, which is quite sad.
Loud, tactless beauty.
She's loud, vast, and has teased lion's mane hair.
She comes to you in crushed velvet skirts, powdered wigs, and 80s does Edwardian shirts.
Her lipstick is perfect, and she almost chokes you with her smell.
- - - -
The essence of the loud 80s, more is more. Opens slightly citrusy, with a thick, honeyed sweetness. So thick you can almost taste it, like original
Opium (1977) Parfum or 
Giorgio Eau de Toilette, or 
Poison Esprit de Parfum . There is a yellow, slightly bitter, fleshy and strong flower in the center. The flower that always makes me choke - the same one present in Giorgio and Poison. I identify this as tuberose. I love and hate tuberose. It is not subtle at all.
Then there is a dry down to something more subtle.
I only have a dabber bottle so I am using this sparingly, but I imagine that if applied in a whole spray, this stuff would last forever.
This is stronger than Poison, weaker than Opium and Giorgio, but less offensive than Giorgio to many. It's just not doing it for me the same way that the others did.
She comes to you in crushed velvet skirts, powdered wigs, and 80s does Edwardian shirts.
Her lipstick is perfect, and she almost chokes you with her smell.
- - - -
The essence of the loud 80s, more is more. Opens slightly citrusy, with a thick, honeyed sweetness. So thick you can almost taste it, like original
Opium (1977) Parfum or Giorgio Eau de Toilette, or Poison Esprit de Parfum . There is a yellow, slightly bitter, fleshy and strong flower in the center. The flower that always makes me choke - the same one present in Giorgio and Poison. I identify this as tuberose. I love and hate tuberose. It is not subtle at all. Then there is a dry down to something more subtle.
I only have a dabber bottle so I am using this sparingly, but I imagine that if applied in a whole spray, this stuff would last forever.
This is stronger than Poison, weaker than Opium and Giorgio, but less offensive than Giorgio to many. It's just not doing it for me the same way that the others did.
Grande Dame
I found a tiny vintage version of the perfume in a thrift store, stored in a glass vial in a small box. This scent is a Bob Mackie dress, full feathers, made for Cher to dance in. not something you wear every day. Tacky unless you’re a diva. but if you’re a diva, it is truly larger than life.
Big, slightly bitter, almost leathery, full-bodied tuberose with vanilla and sweet overripe fruits, over the heavy smell of precious sandalwood.
Like Fracas it has tremendous strength and thickness and is almost choking. Like Tresor there is sweet wood at the end, but used with a much heavier hand here.
I am a fan.
Big, slightly bitter, almost leathery, full-bodied tuberose with vanilla and sweet overripe fruits, over the heavy smell of precious sandalwood.
Like Fracas it has tremendous strength and thickness and is almost choking. Like Tresor there is sweet wood at the end, but used with a much heavier hand here.
I am a fan.
red ring pop
my first thought was “this is Lolita Lempicka with strawberries.” It’s a tart red-berry fruity floral. Sweet and floaty, with light undertones of vanilla. Not cloying. Not complicated. Nostalgically synthetic. Girlhood viewed through red Ring Pop-tinted glasses.
**
Notes: the original bottle is a manic masterpiece. I can’t believe that made it to release. And - Ann Gottlieb, the product developer and co-perfumer, was also responsible for developing Axe and half the fragrances at Bath and Body Works. Plus Dior J’Adore. It’s unlikely that any single person had greater influence on the scent world of the noughties. As a nose and a product developer, she pushed fruity florals into the mainstream and delivered *the idea of even using scent* to every male between 15 and 95. Axe was the first fragrance exposure many young boys had - and I wonder if it still is. Like it or not, her impact is undeniable.
I personally have a love/hate relationship with both fruity florals and super strong fougeres. I find them either too synthetic/sweet or ham fisted. Clones of Viva La Juicy or Cool Water with slight changes.
But that’s not completely fair or true, and now that new and heavier scent profiles are becoming more popular and reaching cliche status themselves, I do kind of appreciate the lighter types of fruity floral as a palate cleanser.
None of this makes any of these scents good. But they are great works of market research, and they are landmarks of their time period. So I think they are still worth a sniff.
**
Notes: the original bottle is a manic masterpiece. I can’t believe that made it to release. And - Ann Gottlieb, the product developer and co-perfumer, was also responsible for developing Axe and half the fragrances at Bath and Body Works. Plus Dior J’Adore. It’s unlikely that any single person had greater influence on the scent world of the noughties. As a nose and a product developer, she pushed fruity florals into the mainstream and delivered *the idea of even using scent* to every male between 15 and 95. Axe was the first fragrance exposure many young boys had - and I wonder if it still is. Like it or not, her impact is undeniable.
I personally have a love/hate relationship with both fruity florals and super strong fougeres. I find them either too synthetic/sweet or ham fisted. Clones of Viva La Juicy or Cool Water with slight changes.
But that’s not completely fair or true, and now that new and heavier scent profiles are becoming more popular and reaching cliche status themselves, I do kind of appreciate the lighter types of fruity floral as a palate cleanser.
None of this makes any of these scents good. But they are great works of market research, and they are landmarks of their time period. So I think they are still worth a sniff.
